EarthQuaker Devices Plumes Small Signal Shredder Overdrive Guitar Pedal

First, this thing is incredibly loud. I keep the level well below 12 o'clock, generally, if I'm switching it on and off rather than leaving it on all the time.I crank the gain to the max. I put it on the middle setting (which is a clean boost with a Strat or Tele, a little gritty with humbuckers) and put it on top of my amps' (tube and solid state) distortion, where it adds crunch and more importantly brightens, focuses, clarifies and in effect "shines up" the tone. Individual strings ring clearer in chords; leads cut a bit better.The other two settings sound fine feeding into a clean amp, but they're not going to provide brutal sounds, if that's what you're looking for. With the drive cranked, it's kind of middleweight distortion with HBs, and light distortion with SCs. Again, the sounds are nice and musical, but nothing extremely special to my ears. I haven't experimented very much with these settings as boosts.That is because I'm so pleased with the clean boost setting. I can see this being permanently on my board, permanently switched on. To me, the Plumes is way more useful than some better known boost/ODs.

I have had countless distortion/OD/fuzz pedals over the years (Rats, Tube Screamers, Big Muff, Danelectro 3699, Fulltone pedals (OCD, Fulldrive, Ult Octave, Boss pedals, DOD pedals, Maxon, you name it). This pedal is easily among the best and the most versatile. It has 3 gain modes, asymmetrical, symmetrical and a boost mode. I have yet to decide which of the higher gain modes I like (but I am leaning towards #3) and I honestly don't use the boost mode all that much. Both gain modes are very responsive to my guitar volume and when used to boost my Fulltone Fulldrive it give it a whole new level of grit. If I would fault this at all, its the fact that the volume between all 3 modes are SO out of balance. I don't understand why the designers did not try to fix this (because they obviously knew of it) Having said that, I still love this pedal and the added bonus which makes it an absolute steal. HIGHLY recommended!

This pedal is awesome and worth the price. Sometimes I dial it back and use it like a boost/overdrive and sometimes I just let it rip. Sounds rad

This is an excellent pedal and extremely versatile. When I first put it on my pedal board, I used it in the right mode (clipping blended with amp tone) and set the gain at just past noon. I play mostly with a telecaster these days and it is perfect with that setup for blues. Lately, I find that I like to keep the Plumes in the boost function (middle mode) to drive my amp/and add color. The tone on this pedal is unique. It adds clarity and volume without being shrill. The full range is useful. It is also great for driving other pedals or the drive channel of an amp. I like to use a compressor into the Plumes to push a plexi pedal or any other gain setting. Using a guitar with humbuckers really pushes the pedal and produces a clear and articulate distortion. The Plumes may be a bit bright for some people but I don't like a dark and muddy sound. It basically makes whatever you have sound better. I keep it on most of the time now. Highly recommend.

Yes, this is Jamie's take on a tube screamer, but it is not all that close to a tube screamer. The tone knob is usable throughout its entire sweep. Counterclockwise gets you closer to your dry tone; clockwise increases the mids/highs and cuts low end. The pedal has 3 clipping options. In the middle is no clip--just pure volume and power. This is outstanding for using this pedal as a boost. Combine that with the tone and gain, you have a super powerful overdrive/boost that can turn any of your existing gain pedals--or your amp--into a saturated, harmonic beast. The other clipping options turn the plumes into an overdrive that's useful on its own. I'm not a big tube screamer guy, but the plumes really does a lot. Plus, it's $99 new. That's insane in the world of boutique guitar pedals. In closing, if you haven't been happy with the dirt pedals you have, get the plumes and breathe new life into your rig.

Playing guitar over 40 years. I use Orange and Mesa amps, good cleans and crunchy gain. Sometimes I just need a light OD on the clean channel. And I have tried dozens of ODs over the years. From the basic to boutique. All were OK, and sometimes I'd have to use 2 or 3 OD pedals on my board for different flavors. IMO, this pedal blows them all away, AND it has 3 very useable tones. What I love is the clarity/transparency with just the right punch...light, medium and heavy...but not fuzzy. Anything heavier and I switch to the gain channel on my amp. I can't believe the killer tones I'm getting from this pedal...for under $100! I'll try attach a pic. I put a small jewel over the LED (too bright white light!) and put a Gibson toggle on the micro toggle so I can actually see which mode I'm on. I love this pedal! Selling most of my old OD pedals now. Just sold my Landgraff on eBay for $700...lol. Yeah, this pedal is a keeper...my search is over.

this pedal screams thats all i can say, im new in pedals so i discover Plumes is better run after noise gate to fx loop. cuz if i run it before the noise gate to fx loop, no changes in sound. so what i did i run my 805 before the noise gate and plumes after the noise gate. its like a very very heavy tone that its still tamed but very loud. chug so crispy nite that both are overdrive. lucky my noise gate Silencer work so fantastic i cant even hear any noise. unfortunately i returned the plumes cuz i though i dont really need it but now i missed it and regret it i even bought that for $89 on sale. now i want one cuz i really missed that tone it brings with my 805. its a Screaming destroyer!

This thing is absolutely phenomenal. Has a wide range of sounds with the 3 clipping modes. My favorite OD at the moment.